Young Photographers Open Exhibition

Seven-year-old Samuel Eatough and Sarah Cowie (14) are the stars of a photo exhibition being opened this week by Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop.

The pair saw off 316 other entries from primary and secondary schools across Scotland to be named winners of the PhotoArch heritage photography competition, run by the Scottish Civic Trust.

Now their pictures are on display at Glasgow’s Lighthouse from March 15 before going forward to represent Scotland at the International Heritage Photographic Experience exhibition in more than 40 countries.

Samuel’s picture of a tenement, which won the overall prize, viewed through the distinctive window of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Queen’s Cross Church, united the judges in praise.

Samuel, from Glasgow’s Ruchill Autism Unit, said: “I like it because it is a mixture of the past and now. It was really, really fantastic – wait – more than fantastic. In fact, they didn’t invent a word for it, when I won the competition!”

PhotoArch encourages young people to take an interest in buildings, archaeology and heritage. Sites under the lens have included everything from atmospheric ancient ruins to ultra-modern flats; spanning castles, schools, homes, shops, churches and factories.

The competition, which began in 2004, expanded this year to allow entries from secondary schools. Sarah, a pupil at Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, impressed the judges with the way her image contrasts the historic and modern parts of Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

Sarah said: “It really made me more observant of the architecture around me, both old and new, and I appreciate how the two are combined to create truly stunning buildings. I also found myself noticing things about buildings that I’d never taken the time to see before.”

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop will officially open the exhibition and present Samuel and Sarah with their prizes on Tuesday morning at the My Place architecture awards.

The Minister said: “I am so impressed by the skill and talent that both Samuel and Sarah have shown with their winning entries. Both pictures are remarkable, using light and artistry to create absolutely captivating images.

“All of the entrants should be exceptionally proud and every one of the pictures will go on display at the Lighthouse for the public to see.

“I am delighted that PhotoArch is growing with more schools taking part and I hope as many as possible are able to come and see their work on show.

“When you consider that the youngest entrant this year was four years old and the oldest 18 it is makes you realise the amount of talent there is taking part to put together such an inspiring and thought provoking exhibition.”

In total 32 schools from 16 local authorities took part. There were 213 entries in the primary school category and 105 in the secondary category. This compares to 258 entries last year.

In addition to the two winners there were three Highly Commended awards and three Commended awards given in both primary and secondary categories.

All of the entries are being shown on galleries on the PhotoArch website.

Judges quotes

Ruth Parsons, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland, said:
“Every photographer who entered and every teacher who worked on this with their pupils should be exceptionally proud of their work. The variety in style, composition and inspiration is wonderful to see and creates whole new perspectives to familiar buildings and monuments.”

John Pelan of the Scottish Civic Trust said;
"The PhotoArch competition is a great way to get children thinking about the places and spaces that surround them. Once again, we had many excellent entries from pupils of all ages, showing originality, inventiveness and an eye for detail. PhotoArch goes from strength to strength with a record number of entries this year and submissions from both primary and secondary schools."

Julia Belgutay of the Times Educational Supplement, said: "Submissions to the competition, both on primary and secondary school level, were of an exceptional quality, which made choosing a winner very difficult. The photographs allowed us an insight into each child's personal perspective on the world and the unique way in which they viewed the building they had chosen. Some photographs were of such a high technical standard, they could not be distinguished from the work of professional photographers."

The Scottish Civic Trust works to promote and improve Scotland's built environment. It supports, through a network of civic societies across Scotland, local interest in architecture, planning, heritage and other environmental issues.

Doors Open Days give you free access to hundreds of fascinating buildings across Scotland. Every weekend in September you can explore places that are normally closed to the public.

Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government charged with safeguarding the nation’s historic environment. The agency is fully accountable to Scottish Ministers and through them to the Scottish Parliament.